Victoria Cafasso, a young Italian tourist, was brutally stabbed to death on Beaumaris Beach in Tasmania in 1995. The case remains unsolved, leaving her family and the community searching for answers.
Victoria, aged 20, had recently arrived in Tasmania and had been staying with her family for only a week before her tragic murder. She had defered her law studies and travelled to England before coming to the seaside town to visit her cousin. Limited contact with locals had made her murder even more shocking to the small coastal community.
Despite the fact that around 50 people visited the beach on the day she died, no witnesses have come forward to provide any information about the crime. The murder remains unsolved and no charges have ever been laid.
Recently, police have conducted new searches and released descriptions of a person of interest and a car seen near the scene. A digitization of the investigation’s evidence revealed a stronger link between a man seen running across the beach around the time of Victoria’s murder and a driver of a light-colored Subaru station wagon.
Witnesses describe the driver of the vehicle as a surfer-like man in his 20s, about 182 centimeters tall with a slim and fit build. Police believed the car was a popular choice at the time of the murder, and they hope that the released images of the car will jog memories and assist in the investigation.
In addition to the search for the car and the driver, police have conducted searches on properties throughout the state in recent months. The case has had many persons of interest over the years, but none have been definitively ruled in or ruled out.
Closure is desperately needed for Victoria’s family. A previous review of the investigation revealed faults in how the crime scene was handled, including delays in the arrival of forensic experts and the absence of video documentation. These factors have only added to the frustration surrounding the case.
The police remain committed to finding justice for Victoria Cafasso and urge anyone with information to come forward. The investigation continues, with the hope that someday the truth will be revealed and those responsible will be held accountable.